Engineering Empathy: Biosensing, Emotion, and the Next Layer of XR

Extended reality has achieved immersion and interaction, but it has not yet grasped understanding. The next evolution of XR involves systems that can sense and respond to human emotions. As biosensing becomes part of the XR technology toolkit, we can design experiences that recognize physiological and emotional contexts. This is not for manipulation, but to strengthen connections.

This session looks at how multimodal biometrics, including EEG, EDA, HRV, EMG, and eye tracking, can inform real-time emotional modeling and adaptive interfaces. We will introduce the idea of The Empathy Stack, a new design layer that connects biosensing with emotion-aware interaction. We’ll discuss how it can promote empathy among users and within the teams that create XR systems.

Attendees will learn practical strategies for ethically integrating biosensing data, creating emotionally intelligent environments, and shaping the next generation of human-centered XR.